MANCHESTER UNITED will not complete their Jadon Sancho transfer this summer due to coronavirus, Paul Merson has warned.
The Red Devils were thought to be in pole position to snap up the Borussia Dortmund winger for around £100million when the window reopens.
But with the current pandemic set to have a lasting impact on football and its finances, Merson expects a major shift in the way clubs do business in the future.
Premier League clubs could be lose more than £1billion collectively if the season is scrapped – with Manchester United the biggest losers by missing out on £116.4m.
Writing in the Daily Star, the former Arsenal man said: “All the talk about Jadon Sancho commanding a £100m-plus transfer fee has been blown out of the water if you ask me.
“Borussia Dortmund are said to be demanding in excess of that figure for one of Europe’s hottest young talents, but they can forget it.
“There’s no way that’s going to be happening. It’s gone – over and out.
“Top clubs can’t be putting staff on furlough and then start forking out that kind of money the minute the transfer window opens.
“It’s not just the fee, but with players in that price bracket comes a pay packet of around £300,000 a week and that’s just not going to be happening.
“The landscape has changed not just for everyone on the planet but for football as well. Really big-money moves may be off the table for quite some time.
“With the financial situation as it is, how would it look for clubs struggling to pay their staff and then transfer deadline day arrives and it flashes up on the screen that £900m or whatever has been splashed out on players? There would be uproar.”
Sancho has been involved in 36 goals in 35 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this season, with 17 goals and 19 assists.
Dortmund revealed in March they would not stand in the way if Sancho confirmed he wanted to move to Old Trafford – although any deal would be on the Bundesliga side’s terms.
And the latest reports suggest that is exactly what the winger, who knows Manchester well after his time with United’s rivals City, is keen for the switch.
One man who has openly admitted he would love the England winger to move to the Red Devils is Marcus Rashford.
Speaking about the prospect of linking up with his international team-mate on a weekly basis, the striker said: “Hopefully we can all play together, that would be good.
“He plays off the cuff, he’s creative and imaginative, these are the things you need to be world class.”
But Rashford’s United pal Juan Mata was less willing to comment in the same way during a Q&A of his own.
The Spaniard said: “Should we sign Jadon Sancho? What do you want me to say?
“We all know that he’s a great player. He’s having a fantastic season at Borussia, but you know it’s not my responsibility to speak about those things.
“Of course, I like him as a player but I cannot reply to that.”
